Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, along with the residents of Varanasi, cleaned the banks of the Ganga river as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on Sunday.
The members collected garbage littered on the banks and dumped it in dustbins. They also took up broom sticks and cleaned the roads and stairs that lead to the river.
A party member, Shankar Giri, said that they successfully cleaned 86 banks.
"We have accomplished our task of cleaning the banks of Ganga river so that people from different places come to Varanasi to see the beautiful banks. We were successful because thousands of people including the residents were involved," said Giri.
Another party worker, Ranjay Singh, said that their work would inspire others around the country to keep their surroundings clean.
"We are cleaning the banks of the Ganga so that we can send out a message of cleanliness through this activity in the whole country," said Singh.
Prime Minister Modi had launched the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan on the birthday on October 2 last year to improve sanitation within five years.